Wednesday, May 30, 2007

It's been really hard. But it was a joy-- because the people involved are so incredibly brilliant. It doesn't hurt that they're some of the coolest, kindest people on earth. "An honor and a privilege" doesn't do this experience justice.

An actor with a powerful presence, Sam Elliott doesn't seem to get the chance to flex his acting range. He kinda ends up playing Sam Elliott over and over again. He's the displaced cowboy with the "It's What's For Dinner" voice, looking up at ya with that long face, slowly dishing out some oddly profound advice with a fantastic drawl.

"The Big Lebowski," "Tombstone," "Ghost Rider," about 5,324 other films, and now Chris Weitz' "The Golden Compass."

Of course, that mustache does most of the acting for him. The giant cowboy hat helps, too.

Friday, May 25, 2007

A gifted comedienne and dramatic actress, Maura Tierney is one of America's greatest actresses. She has a staggering range; she can play vulnerable characters, powerful characters, purely comedic characters, and sometimes all of those simultaneously.

Her breakout role was on the brilliant show, "Newsradio;" she played reporter Lisa Miller and was an important part of one of the most fantastic ensemble casts in television history (along with Dave Foley, Stephen Root, Andy Dick, and more). Even in her role in "ER," joining the cast long after the show had jumped the shark, she brings gravitas and intensity to every single episode.

Any Maura Tierney fan should see her in the little film, a quirky modern-day Macbeth, "Scotland, P.A."

Saturday, May 05, 2007

“Wonder takes time,” said Brad Bird, the movie's director. “You don’t rush wonder. You have to coax the audience toward you a little bit.”

For a summer whose blockbuster films include:

Spider-Man 3 (sequel)

Pirates 3(sequel)

Shrek 3(sequel)

Die Hard 4(sequel)

Harry Potter 5(sequel)

28 Weeks Later(sequel)

Fantastic Four 2(sequel)

Rush Hour 3(sequel)

Ocean's Thirteen(sequel)

Evan Almighty(sequel)

Hostel 2(sequel)

Transformers(based on toy/tv show)

The Simpsons Movie(based on tv show)

Halloween(remake)

... releasing an original movie like "Ratatouille" seems positively quaint. Article includes a blurb from Bob Gale, co-writer of one of the most original blockbusters of the last 30 years, "Back To The Future."

“It’s tragic,” the screenwriter Bob Gale said of what he sees as Hollywood’s lost inventiveness.

FXRant by Todd Vaziri

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About Me

my name is todd vaziri and i do stuff. you can electronically mail me feedback at tvaziri@gmail.com.
this blogy thingy is just a big experiment, so we'll see how it goes. you'll see posts on film, visual effects, media, current events, and whatever gibberish is floating in my melon.